Summit County Art Board Favorite Public Art Piece // Splash

In this blog series we feature Summit County Public Art Board Member’s favorite local art pieces. See Summit County public art through new eyes and experience what makes these pieces so special according to our Summit County Public Art Board members. Once you’ve read our blog, go experience these public art pieces for yourself! In this blog post we feature a favorite from Summit County Public Art Board member, Maureen Lahey.

Her favorite Summit County Public Art piece is Splash, created in 2011 by Daniel E. Borup. Daniel is a nationally recognized sculptor who grew up in the small town of Meridian, Idaho where he learned to love art from his older siblings. Daniels’ passion for art only grew when he went to college. This is where he was introduced to figure sculpting. Years of work and development has awarded Daniel with honors and awards as well as the honor of creating public art sculpture for various locations through the country. Much of the work Daniel creates is inspired by the relationship he has with his family and students. His pieces Splash, is a liquid looking splash in the corner of the teen area of the Summit County Library - Coalville Branch and is made out of plastic finished with a chrome like coating.

Maureen says that Splash scares her a bit, due to its size, shape and position on the wall, but she also admits that it is very interesting to look at. “Splash has a significant size in the middle but it goes all over the place, its droplets stretching out over the wall,” she explains.” It’s significant that it’s located in the teen section because it can represent teenagers looking at their lives, deciding what they want to be and they put out these droplets into the world as they grow and mature and decide their future.”  

The artist, Daniel E. Borup, has his own take on it, explaining, “ Splash is a sculpture of self-reflection. More than just a mirror, Splash lets you see yourself in different ways urging you to think about the person you are and would like to become. You can view yourself branching out just as the sculpture does. The sculpture appears as if it is still moving and pliable. This symbolizes the ever-changing aspects of our lives. Everyone can change and we have yet to author our future. It is my hope that everyone who view this sculpture will walk away thinking more about the type of person they are and want to become.”

You can see Splash for yourself at the Summit County Library - Coalville Branch at  82 50 E, Coalville, UT, open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm.

Thanks to SCPAAB member Maureen Lahey for the insight. Stay tuned for more Summit County public art favorites in the coming months, and learn more about the Summit County Art Board here.